Data from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) shows a fourfold rise in overdose deaths related to prescription opioids in the United States since 2000 (figure 1). In New York State (NYS), opioid related hospital admissions peaked in 2014 (figure 2), prompting implementation of policies to address these concerns. One of the major executions by the NYS Department of Health was issuance of a standing order authorizing licensed pharmaciststo dispense naloxone, an opioid antidote, to persons without needing a prescription.

Naloxone counteracts the dangerous effects of opioids with minimal or no adverse events if mistakenly administered to persons not suffering an overdose. The demand for naloxone has significantly increased now that the State has requested widespread availability for the public to administer naloxone in cases of suspected overdose. However, the rising costs of naloxone have made it difficult to meet these demands. The injectable version of the drug has increased significantly over the past few years. The price for naloxone nasal spray in the CVS chain’s New York stores is up to $110 for people who buy it without a prescription and insurance. An auto-injector version of naloxone called Evzio, that works like Epi-pen, is $2,250 for a single-dose injector.

Increasing access to naloxone for the public is inadequate if prices continue to rise. The State and the manufacturers of these products are our stakeholders. These parties may reduce costs by increasing manufacturers, and offering consistent prices and discounts. Pushback from the manufacturers to lower prices thrives in that they are limited in number and have raised costs to meet rising demand. The community may argue that increasing the availability of antidotes may promote drug overdose. Thus we appeal for an alliance between the state and the manufacturers to reduce prices of these life-saving medications to curtail the opioid epidemic.